


Shit

by Manni26



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Engagement, F/F, F/M, M/M, Nervous, Pregnancy, family support
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2020-12-28 01:00:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21128189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Manni26/pseuds/Manni26
Summary: The Wheeler Family Thanksgiving with some big news and character development.





	Shit

It was stupid, so stupid.

They didn’t think anything would happen, it was just meant to be fun. Something in the warm August air just struck Nancy and Jonathan the right way. Maybe it was the hot hazy breeze, maybe it was the jazz club Nancy dragged Jonathan to, or maybe it was the twelve beers the two cleared together. 

Scratch that, it was defiantly the beers.

When Nancy and Jonathan stumbled home the middle of that August night, they got the brilliant idea to recreate some of the moments of the night they...”enjoyed each other’s company” for the first time. There was passion, there were some amazing feelings, and they were both so synced, knowing each other’s bodies astonishingly well. 

“Fuck,” Jonathan swore, saving those words only for moments of intense passion. Nancy gripped Jonathan’s strong arms with her nails, ready to slide down the mountain with him. Three more thrusts.

Two.

One.

Jonathan collapsed on Nancy’s incredibly sensitive body, breathing heavily. 

“That was amazing!” Nancy panted into Jonathan’s ear. 

“Yeah it really was,” he replied, rolling off of her, “I don’t know why but it felt better than ever before.” With that Jonathan flipped over onto his stomach and passed out into a drunken pile. 

Nancy rolled out of the bed to use the bathroom when her life changed in an instant. Drunk, stumbling, and with a need to pee, she felt wetness slip out of her.

Shit.

In all the passion, excitement, and drunken fun they’d forgotten to pull out unlike their first time in the bunker. 

Shit.

...

Warm summer air transforms into chilly fall breezes which become pre-winter gusts. The November air was cold, wet, and threatening to snow. 

Nancy stood in the bathroom of their small Chicago apartment with such anxiety she was ready to go into a full on panic attack. She only had forty-five minutes before Jonathan would come home, and she needed to do something she never thought she’d have to do at nineteen years old. 

She pulled the box out of the convince store bag, opened it, and pulled out the pregnancy test she’d been dreading taking. The steps were easy: pee on the stick, wait a few minutes, find out results that would dictate the rest of your life.

Simple. 

She sat.

She peed.

She waited in silence.

That night...she didn’t remember all the details to be frank, but she remembered getting off the bed and feeling Jonathan’s semen run down her legs, and the expression of dread on her face. Her brain denied it for weeks, hoping that it wasn’t true, wishing that they hadn’t been that stupid. When Jonathan didn’t mention it the next morning, sex without pulling out, she figured that it really had been a figment of her imagination. Maybe she’d just been so drunk that she made it all up.

September went by quickly. Everything seemed great, school went well, her job at the university library was amazing. Their lives were finally starting, and it was exciting.

Then she missed her period.

It was okay, though, because she’d missed her period before. Sometimes she’d get so ultra-stressed that she would miss her monthly cycle.

October was fun, with a slight tingle of fear. What if it wasn’t her imagination? What if Jonathan and her really were that stupid? But still, life was progressing. Jonathan was doing amazing things with his photography at school. It was no NYU, but he was happy to be with her and pursuing his dreams. He had a great job in a local hardware store and things were looking up.

She missed another period.

November came with no warning and Nancy started to feel under the weather. She told herself it was a cold, maybe the flu. She’d be fine in a week or two.

Another period missed. 

Two days before Thanksgiving and she decided she needed to know. That’s how she ended up in her bathroom with a test that would dictate the rest of her life.

Positive.

Shit.

...

That August night, he’d never felt that much love before in his life. Nancy showed him such passion, such lust, he knew it was time. That night he knew he needed to do something he thought he’d never do in his life. Something he didn’t believe in until he met Nancy Wheeler.

Jonathan decided he needed to buy a ring.

He woke up the next morning not remembering a lot of the night before, but he’d made up his mind. August turned to September, September to October, October to November. He was shocked how much money he was able to save before he went two days before Thanksgiving to buy what he knew would be the greatest gift he’d given her up to that point. 

There were so many choices, it was overwhelming. Jonathan wasn’t the jewelry kind of guy. Normally at that point he would have called his mom and asked for her opinion, but he wanted it to be an intimate surprise. So he had to do it and he had to do it alone.

“Can I help you?” A sales man questioned, seeing the confusion on Jonathan’s face. 

“I...uh...I’m...” he stammered, not knowing what to say.

“What’s her name?” The gentleman asked.

“Nancy.”

“That’s a beautiful name. And what do you want to tell her with a piece of jewelry?” 

Jonathan thought for a moment. He was never one with words, never saying the right thing at the right moment. He was simple, straight forward, self-aware. He’d grown so much thanks to Nancy, but he was still the simple boy from Hawkins he’d always been. In that moment, he knew precisely what he wanted to say.

“That I love her.”

“Beautiful. Simple. I have the exact thing for that.”

...

“Are you ready to go?” Nancy frantically asked Jonathan, packing the last of their things before taking off for Hawkins for Thanksgiving. 

She hadn’t told Jonathan, she just couldn’t. She wanted to be one hundred percent sure about it before she said a word to him. Sure, there were moments she wanted to blurt it all out, tell him everything, but she’d only taken one test.

Well...two.

Okay...three.

But it was only three tests. Three positive tests.

Four. (Positive...again?!?)

Shit.

“Almost!” Jonathan called from the bedroom, packing the last of his things. The most important piece of his luggage was a small red box with a simple yet intricate diamond ring with a yellow gold twisted band that reminded him of some ancient Celtic scroll. 

He had a plan, too. After Thanksgiving dinner at the Wheeler’s, before dessert, he’d take Nancy out to the field where they shot a gun and talked about love: the perfect place. He wouldn’t say much, just what he felt in his heart which was this: ‘Nancy Wheeler, I love you. Will you marry me?’ 

Simple.

Sweet.

He rushed to the door with his bag, grabbed her hand, and helped her out to the car. Jonathan had a smile on his face that wouldn’t be wiped away whereas Nancy plastered on a fake grin to hide the huge secret she was keeping. 

Every part of her soul needed to grab Jonathan’s hand and tell him what she so desperately wanted to. She wanted to curl up in his arms and have him tell her that everything was gonna be okay, that they’d be fine. Those simple words that she couldn’t speak.

Jonathan, I’m having your baby.

To be honest, she never thought she’d want a child. With Steve, she certainly didn’t want kids. Sure, he’d be a good father, but she never felt that need with him. But with Jonathan...

...something felt so natural.

Sure, it felt like life itself was ending, but he was the right guy. Would it be so bad to have a child with him?

...

Jonathan was a perfect gentleman and took Nancy to her parents home first, came inside to say hello before leaving for his mom’s house alone. It seemed foolish, they lived together, but they stayed in separate houses that night. 

Jonathan drove as fast as he could to the small house and was in such a state of giddiness he barely noticed Hopper’s car parked outside. 

“Hello?” He called out, entering the house. Will and El darted out of his bedroom, grabbing Jonathan in a tight embrace. 

“Jonathan!!!” Will called out, happier than ever. 

“Hey buddy! You got so tall,” he said noticing his brother’s sudden growth spurt. El gave Jonathan a kiss on the cheek.

“We’re happy you’re home!” She expressed. So badly in that moment did he want to tell them about the ring in his bag, be he couldn’t. 

No. 

It had to be a surprise.

He decided he wanted Nancy to be the first see it.

...

Mike was in a bad mood from the moment Nancy came into the basement. 

“No no, don’t say hello to your favorite sister,” Nancy joked walking down the basement stairs.

“I’m not in the mood,” he complained in his typical fashion. 

Nancy walked over to him, plopping down on the couch next to him. No, they weren’t the closest siblings in the world, certainly not as close as the Byers, but they loved each other deeply. Nancy placed her arm on Mikes shoulder and hugged him.

“What’s wrong?” She questioned. 

Mike was in his typical stubborn teenage mood and she feared he wouldn’t open up to her anymore. 

“It’s Will...I’m pissed at him.” 

“Why?” She commented, shocked.

“...because...he’s just...I’m just pissed okay!” 

Nancy hugged him tighter.

“He’s spending so much time with El, so much. I asked her to hang out with me like a hundred times the past two days and she always says no cause she’s gonna hang out with him and it’s so annoying. I think he’s trying to make a move on her” 

Nancy had a tear in her eye for her little brother. It was his first heartbreak.

Damn pregnancy hormones.

“It’s okay Mike, I’m sure she’s just excited to have a brother. Plus she and Hop basically live with Joyce and Will. Maybe they’re just really good friends.”

“Yeah sure,” Mike spat in a snotty way, “you have to say that, he’s Jonathan’s brother.”

It was true, Nancy did say kind things about Will because he was Jonathan’s little brother, but she also loved him as if he were her own. There was a moment of silence between the two before Mike spoke again, a tear streaming down his cheek.

“In all honesty, I think El doesn’t like me anymore.” She knew what it took for Mike to admit that, and in that moment she wanted so desperately to be honest with him and tell him about being pregnant. 

No.

It wasn’t the time.

...

Okay, maybe Jonathan hadn’t quite thought about his proposal enough. Was he going to say the right thing? Did he have the right ring? He knew his love for Nancy was simple and beautiful but should he craft something more intricate to say?

Everyone in the Byers house had gone to sleep, leaving Jonathan sitting at the kitchen table, ring box in hand.

“I love you and you mean the world to me and...” he whispered to himself, trying to practice the words right. Jonathan had grown up in a lot of ways, but the almost twenty year old still didn’t know how to speak without being plagued with fear.

“That’s not right,” he whispered again. 

Ugh.

“You still up, kid?” The ring box that was once in Jonathan’s hand flew in the air with shock as Chief Hopper walked into the kitchen, lit cigarette in his mouth. Jonathan’s heart raced a mile a minute when not only did Hopper see the box, but he caught it. 

Holding it, Hopper knew what was inside without having to look. He smiled a huge, happy grin at the man sitting before him at the table. Jonathan, on the other hand, shook with fear. He wanted Nancy to be the first to know.

Things were not going according to plan.

“Does your mom know?” Hop asked, putting the box back in Jonathan’s hand.

“No...no one does. Well, besides the chatty jewelry sales man...” 

Jonathan looked down at the box with dread, something Hopper noticed while pouring himself a cup of coffee, and one for the son he never had.

“Engagements are supposed to be a happy thing, kid,” Hop spoke, placing the coffee in front of Jonathan and taking the seat beside him, “so why do you look so miserable?”

“I...I just...”

“You having doubts about Nancy?”

“No!” Jonathan jumped, “not at all. I’m...I...I just don’t have the right words. I had a plan but nothing seems right. I was gonna take her out to the part of the woods where we hung out for the first time...shooting guns and talking. But what if that’s the wrong place? I mean...Barb disappeared around there. And I thought about what I was going to say but nothing I say is ever going to be what I-“

“Kid-stop.” Hopper’s face was stern and serious. Jonathan looked him dead in the eye, afraid of what he might say next.

“You love Nancy, right?”

“Yes. More than anything, yes.”

“Then what you say, where you give it to her, it’s not gonna matter. Some guys plan every detail and it works out perfectly, and then seven years later they get divorced. Just follow your gut.”

“Okay,” Jonathan spoke, his eyes shifting from Hopper’s face down to the ring box. He opened it, revealing the magnificent ring surrounded by red velvet, showing it to   
Hopper, but something was still wrong.

“Stop that,” Hopper ordered almost as if he were reading Jonathan’s mind, “I know what you’re thinking. You need to stop that. You’re not him and you’re never gonna be.”

“But what if-.” Hopper grabbed Jonathan by the arms, putting his face in his and forcing him to look him dead in the eyes.

“You are not Lonnie Byers. You. Are. Not. You will never be. Stop thinking you are or I’m gonna arrest you and you’ll spend Thanksgiving in a jail cell, got it?” 

Jonathan laughed at the thought and shook his head.

“I’m going to bed kid, and you should too. Don’t overthink it. Night.”

“Night.” 

Hop stood from the table and continued out of the kitchen until Jonathan stopped him.

“Hopper...thanks. For everything. Thanks.”

Hopper smiled, feeling his heart warm. 

“No problem.”

“...you won’t tell anyone...will you?” 

“No. Now get the hell to bed.”

...

Thanksgiving morning was cold, so cold, cloudy, and raw Nancy opted to wear thicker dress, tights, and shoe boots. When she gazed at her appearance in the mirror she could have sworn she could see a pregnancy belly starting to form.

How?

She was only a few weeks...

It was months.

She was three months pregnant, or course she’d start showing. 

What if someone noticed? 

She could only imagine her little brother, at the dinner table, pointing out her somewhat enlarged belly and spilling the beans. Perhaps she should change outfits?

She’d almost blown it herself at breakfast while she sat and gazed at her family eating breakfast. Her mother had made a spread that could rival a royal breakfast, eggs, biscuits, bacon, pancakes, sausage. Nancy wanted to eat it all, and she began shoveling breakfast food in until her unborn child decided the food would be better thrown up immediately. 

Smiling, Nancy politely excused herself from the table and prayed no one heard her vomiting in the upstairs toilet.

“Nancy,” She could hear her mother call from down stairs, snapping her out of her thoughts, “the Byers are here!” 

The last person on earth Nancy wanted to see at the moment was Jonathan. She hated lying to him, hiding the massive secret she held alone, but she knew telling him now would be so much worse. After Thanksgiving, she told herself, that’s when she’d tell him. After a doctors appointment.

Good plan.

Nancy wandered out of her bedroom and met her boyfriend at the bottom of the stairs, kissed him, and allowed him to hold her close.

“Hi Joyce, Hopper,” she spoke next before moving on to some of her favorite people.

“Will! El! How are you guys! Will, you got so tall! How’s school, El?” Nancy had a million questions for them, as she was extremely excited to hear about their developing lives. Mike lurked in the background, still bitter about El and Will’s friendship. 

When Nancy went in to hug Will he whispered in her ear, “we need to talk later...in private.” She smiled at the kid as she released him, wondering what was on his mind.

...

Thanksgiving dinner went off without a hitch, the rather small group enjoying Karen’s gourmet cooking, conversation, and company. Dessert at the Wheeler’s home was a whole block affair, families all coming over to enjoy the various pies, cakes, and treats Karen spent all week preparing.

“Shit!” Joyce spoke, noticing she’d forgotten the massive pie she’d spent forever making.

“What’s wrong, mom?” Jonathan questioned.

“Nothing I just...I forgot the pie. I need to go to back to the house and get it.”

“Oh well, hey, what if Nance and I went back to the house and got it?” It would be perfect, or so he thought. He and Nancy could slip away, he could give her the ring and they could come back and announce to their families and friends (and the many random people who would come for dessert) that they were engaged.

“I don’t know...there were a couple of things there. I-.”

“El and I could go too, mom,” Will spoke up, “it would be fun to go for a drive with Jonathan and Nancy... to catch up and all.”

Shit.

Nancy wanted to die. Not only was she ready to throw up, but she did NOT want to be alone with Jonathan in a car again. She knew if she was alone with him, she’d tell him everything and Thanksgiving would be ruined.

“I don’t know,” Nancy began, “maybe Joyce and I could go...so we could...um...catch up.” 

Joyce’s eyes flipped over to Nancy. The way she was sitting, the flush of her face, the way she held herself...something was wrong. Maybe Nancy wanted to talk to her?

“If El and Will are going, then I’m going too!” Mike declared, looking angry. 

“Okay...” Karen spoke, not sure what was going on.

...

Somehow Jonathan ended up driving Nancy, his mom, Will, and Mike towards the house (El stayed back with Hopper, much to Mike’s disappointment. He was not happy.

Not at all.

Neither was Jonathan.

That was supposed to be his moment, the time when he finally asked his stunning girlfriend to marry him. Sure, the day wasn’t going great for him. Nancy barley spoke to him and something in him suspected that she knew he was going to propose, but didn’t want him to. It made him so nervous, anxious, and basically ready to drop dead.

What if she said no?

What would he do?

Should he wait?

Thoughts buzzed through his head like twenty colonies of angry bees, and there was nothing he could do about it. 

There was no conversation in the car. It was almost as if they’d all forgotten how to speak, what to say or do when in a social situation.

Ice rain pounded hard against Jonathan’s car, his shitty tires spinning out by the small Food Market parking lot.

Shit.

“Maybe we should just pull in here and sit until the ice lets up,” Joyce suggested as they pulled into the empty parking lot.

“We’re gonna freeze,” Mike commented, making a nasty face at Will. Somehow, Will wasn’t bothered at all by it, and Nancy could see that. What did Will want to talk to her about? Why did he need her alone? 

Nancy was cold. She bundled up in a coat and scarf before they left, but there was a chill deep down in her bones that spread throughout her entire body. She shivered in the icy cool car, only the smallest amount of heat staying within. 

“Everything okay?” Jonathan questioned, noticing her shivering.

Nancy shook her head ‘yes’ even though it was a lie. 

“I think we should go inside,” Will suggested, wanting to get out of the cold. He needed to get Nancy alone. 

“I agree with Will-.” Nancy spoke, interrupted by Mike scoffing. 

“It’s not gonna be open,” Jonathan pointed out, observing the fact that the parking lot was empty and there wasn’t a single light on in the store. Nancy gazed over at him.

“That’s never stopped us before.” Jonathan smiled at the comment and began to exit the car, followed by the rest of his passengers.

...

It didn’t take long to pry the front doors open and make their way into the small market. The shelves were fully stocked, the heat was on to warm them from the brutal Indiana cold, and they picked a nice spot down the canned food aisle to sit. 

Nancy and Will sat next to each other while Mike paced the floor. Joyce stood and looked at Jonathan, taking a deep breath out. 

“We should go find a phone and call Karen to tell her we won’t be back any time soon,” Joyce told Jonathan who shook his head in return.

“Uh...okay...yeah I guess we should,” he answered as the pair walked away. 

Finally, it was Will’s opportunity to talk to Nancy. He waited till Joyce and Jonathan we’re out of site and until Mike was as far away as possible before whispering in a low voice to his brother’s girlfriend.

“Nancy, I need to tell you something,” he spoke in a small voice. Nancy looked at him confused. What could he be talking about?

“Sure, what’s wrong?” 

Mike walked back so they became silent, Will not able to speak in front of him. 

“I...well...” he began to stammer as his brother did when he was nervous, “El and I were playing a stupid game one day. We’d spin a bottle and whatever name it landed on...well...El would kinda...spy on. We didn’t mean anything by it or anything-.”

Mike walked back so Will fell silent. Nancy wondered what they saw.

“So...anyway...it was a few days ago. And the bottle landed on your name...and El saw you with...uh...a positive pregnancy test...you were crying and we-.” 

Mike wandered back, then off again.

“Nancy...are you pregnant?” Will boldly asked. 

“Will I...” she looked down at her hands, then back at his innocent eyes. How could she lie to him? How could she keep lying to herself? 

Goddamn it Nancy, she thought to herself, be logical. You haven’t had a period in three months. You took four tests that all came up positive. How can you pretend like it isn’t possible?

She took a deep breath and released all the lies that had been swarming around in her brain.

“Yes,” she responded, “I am. But I haven’t told Jonathan yet-.”

“Haven’t told Jonathan what?” Mike interrupted having just walked back to where they were sitting. He’d seen them talking and figured it was about him, so he’d been listening in. 

He was ready for a fight.

“Nothing!” Nancy angrily spat. 

Mike had had it. His best friend was keeping secrets from him. His girlfriend was keeping secrets from him. Finally, his sister and best friend had a secret and wouldn’t tell him. Rage burned inside him.

“What the hell is it?!? I’m so sick of being kept out of everything! I swear I-.”

“Okay okay!” Nancy shushed him, “just please keep your voice down and don’t say anything to anyone!”

“Fine!”

“I’m...pregnant...” Nancy confided, still not used to the words coming out of her mouth. 

Mike laughed at her in a crazy, mental way.

“What?” Nancy yelled at him.

“Oh nothing, I just think it’s funny that you told him before me. I’m your goddamn brother and you told him first. You haven’t even told Jonathan which is really pathetic and-.”

“Haven’t told me what?” Jonathan asked as he and Joyce walked up and just the wrong time. Nancy panicked, hoping that the boys would just keep their mouths shut.

“Nothing...nothing Jo-,” Nancy started.

“What do you mean nothing? Girlfriends aren’t supposed to keep secrets!” Mike hissed.

“Secrets?” Jonathan questioned.

“Mike, it’s not your place,” Will tried to diffuse, hoping his friend would do the right thing.

“That’s bull shit! You’re all so full of shit!”

“Mike...” Nancy looked at her bother, pleading with her eyes that he not say anything.

Mike looked at his sister who sat on the floor pathetically, pale, and stressed. He considered that she kept her secret to protect Jonathan, maybe even because she hadn’t accepted it yet. But Mike felt hurt, scorn by his friend, girlfriend and sister.

“Jonathan, Nancy’s pregnant,” Mike revealed, forcing Nancy to quickly stand and embarrassingly run away.

“...what...?” Jonathan spoke quietly, in complete disbelief.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” Will told Mike as he stood and walked over to his brother.

“Yeah, well you shouldn’t have made El stop hanging out with me!” 

Will spun around, furious at what he heard. He hadn’t kept El from Mike, she’d chose to stay away.

The two boys argued as Jonathan attempted to walk away and find his girlfriend when Joyce stopped him.

“Jonathan...why don’t you stay here with your brother and let me talk to her?” Joyce spoke in a sympathetic tone. Jonathan’s mind was reeling, her words barley sinking in. She could tell by the look in his eye that he was in awe, perhaps the weight of the situation hadn’t fully come over him yet. He nodded in agreement as she walked away in pursuit of Nancy.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” Will loudly told Mike, clearly angry for spoiling everything. Mike appeared to have no remorse, rather he too was enraged.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have been such an ass! Maybe you shouldn’t have made El stay away from me, maybe-.”

“I didn’t make El stay away from you!” Will defended. “She didn’t want to go out with you because she didn’t want to keep this whole thing from you. She didn’t want to lie to you and she knew if she was around you she’d want to tell you!”

Mike didn’t know what to say. At first he was angry, then felt slightly guilty for his misplaced aggression. 

“How...well how did you find out?” He deflected, trying to push away the feelings of guilt.

“We were...uh...spying on Nancy...it was a stupid game that we-.” Will answered.

“Wait- What?” Jonathan interrupted, finally coming back to reality. “You guys spy on us?”

Ugh.

There was a lot of explaining to do.

...

Finding Nancy didn’t take Joyce that long as she knew she’d probably find her as far away from the guys as she could get. Nancy sat against the wall on the left side of the store, tears streaming down her flushed cheeks. She tried burying her face in her knees, but when she heard Joyce approach she gazed up to see who it was. Joyce smiles at her sad face.

“Can I sit?” She asked politely. Nancy shook her head ‘yes’, words not coming out of her mouth. 

“You know,” Joyce began as she sat, “when I was pregnant with Jonathan, I locked Lonnie in a closet because I thought he ate the last of the chocolate cake I had in the refrigerator. I wouldn’t let him out until he swore he’d go to the store and buy me another one...then I realized that I ate the last piece of cake.” Nancy laughed through he tears with Joyce who put an arm around the girl and brought he in for a hug.

“It’s gonna be okay, Nancy, I promise.” 

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” Nancy sniffled and cried, “I just...I didn’t want Jonathan to know. I don’t...I...” She trailed off. Joyce let her out of the embrace and looked her in the eyes. 

“I don’t want Jonathan to quit school,” Nancy blurted out, finally allowing truth to come out of her lips. 

“Jonathan wants to quit school?”

“No no, he loves school. He’s doing so well! He loves all of his classes, his professors are great, and he’s on track to become a real photographer. I don’t want to take that away from him. And I know he’ll start by picking up a second job and saying that he just wants to get us ahead. Then he’ll take less and less classes. And finally, he’ll ‘put his education on hold’ for a little while until the baby is older. But he’ll never go back. He’s gonna live a life of regrets and I don’t want to do that to him.” 

Joyce grabbed Nancy’s hand in a mothering way, hoping to help her feel more at ease.

“Nancy,” She started calmly, “you haven’t done anything to Jonathan, and this isn’t your fault. Last I checked, it takes two people to make a baby. You can’t make Jonathan’s choices for him. If he chooses to drop out of school and take a second job, that’s his choice. If he regrets that in twenty years, he did it to himself. Right now, you need to focus on you and your baby.”

“I just...I can’t believe we were so stupid! One time without...uh....yeah and now this! I feel so stupid.”

“You aren’t stupid! It happens, Nancy.”

“I just always thought we’d at least be engaged or married. I just feel like the poster child for bad decisions right now.”

Joyce grabbed Nancy again in a tight hug, hoping once again to cheer her up. 

“I promise you, Nancy, everything is going to be okay. Don’t worry about a thing. I’ll make sure Jonathan doesn’t drop out of school or do anything crazy, okay? I promise you. And...and for what it’s worth...you’re gonna be a fantastic mom. And Jonathan’s gonna be an amazing dad.” 

Nancy breathed deeply, looking at Joyce for more reassurance. There was something so comforting in her eyes, knowing that she was indefinitely on her side. Joyce’s eyes moved to catch a glimpse of a figure moving closer to them, that figure being none other than Jonathan.

“I think someone else wants to talk to you,” Joyce informed her, pointing out her son who slowly walked to them. “If you need me, I’ll be in aisle three trying to mend a friendship between my son and your brother. Just remember, you can do this.”

Joyce gave Nancy one more smile before getting up and walking away, allowing Jonathan to take her seat next to the shaking girl. 

Jonathan didn’t even know how to begin. He spoke to his brother, talked about how he didn’t understand why she didn’t tell him, why she would keep such a secret. Will explained to Jonathan how he had a habit of giving up his life for others, citing the example of Jonathan almost not going to college simply because he was afraid of leaving Will behind.

He just didn’t know how to start the conversation.

“You know, I thought you were avoiding me for other reasons,” he began, not knowing how to comfort Nancy.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you,” she started, tears forming once again, “I’m so sorry. I know you must be furious with me, and I wouldn’t blame you if-.”

“Nance, relax.”

“I can’t!”

Jonathan laughed at her tear soaked cheeks, realizing that there was humor in the situation. He had feared she wouldn’t like the ring, thought he’d say the wrong words or just not be good enough for her. It all seemed so small at that moment. He and Nancy were having a baby: their baby. It would be a living breathing symbol of their love, and it filled him with all sorts of emotions.

“Why are you laughing...?” Nancy questioned, confused by his giggles. He pulled his knees closer to his chest, trying to contain himself from the many feelings he was having.

“I was...I...I was so nervous coming here. I thought I’d say the wrong things or make a Jack ass of myself. And now it all seems so...insignificant. We’re having a baby. Wow.” 

Nancy looked confused.

“...I don’t understand...”

“I was...well...I was going to propose,” he began, “I was so afraid I was gonna blow it. And then on the way here you were ignoring me and I was afraid that you found the ring or something. I just...I feel like I’m finally at ease. I know I should be more stressed but I’m not.”

There was silence. Both young people had a lot to think about, so many things had been revealed. Quietly, tears rolled down Jonathan’s slightly red cheeks.

“You were...um...you...”

Jonathan turned his head to meet her gaze, smiling through his tears. Without being asked, he pulled the ring box out of his pocket, sat up onto one knee, and presented the love of his life with the ring he had been so overjoyed to purchase, so terrified to give her. 

In that moment, he remembered what Hopper had so wisely told him the night prior, about how there is no perfectly planned moment. Sometimes, the moment just happens and no amount of planning can prepare you for it. 

That moment, in a shitty grocery store during the middle of an ice storm, tears rolled down both of their cheeks and there was a baby in Nancy’s body, but that was the perfect moment. 

“Nancy, you changed my life. You give me courage, taught me how to pursue what I want, and how to open up to others. I remember being just a kid who had a crush on you, and never then did I think I’d be here, with you. You’re the reason I’m what I am today. Will you marry me?”

She could no longer control her tears and the flood gates opened once more. Nancy tackled Jonathan, kissing him furiously and hugging him so tight she could have broken his ribs.

Pregnancy strength.

“Yes! Yes I will I wouldn’t want to be with anyone else!” She cried, kissing him more as he slid the ring onto her thin finger. 

Perfection.

...

After a few more minutes of talking (and kissing!) the newly engaged couple walked back down a few aisles to find their family seemingly getting along. Surely Joyce must have talked to them about being good friends to one another in Nancy and Jonathan’s absence. 

Their smiles were infectious, contagious. As they approached, the group could immediately see their happiness radiating off their bodies and surrounding everyone. 

“I take it you guys are okay?” Will questioned happily. Jonathan flashed his little brother a huge, uncharachteristicly large smile.

“We’re better than okay, buddy,” he began, “we’re having a baby.”

The group, including Mike, celebrated the news. He seemed to be in a better mood, possibly having been spoken to by Joyce.

“Oh, and we’re engaged!” He couldn’t help but beam light from a foolish smile. Joyce jumped to her feet and hugged her son and future daughter-in-law tightly, crying happy tears against their shirts. Will and Mike also wandered over to the couple, expression their happiness when the supermarket doors opened. 

Chief Jim Hopper strolled through the doors, heavy snow boots on his feet and an ice scraper in his hand. 

“You rang?” He asked before noticing all the smiling, happy faces. “What’s that all about?” 

No one could find the words to speak what had occurred, but when Hopper noticed the shiny ring on Nancy’s finger he pieced it all together, realizing Jonathan had finally gotten enough courage to ask the girl of his dreams to be his bride. 

“I see you found the perfect moment,” Jim spoke to Jonathan, laughing at the unusual circumstances. 

“Well actually-.” He began, being interrupted by his mother.

“Wait- What? You knew?” Joyce accused Hoper.

“Yeah.” He answered matter-of-factly. 

“Oh really? Then why didn’t you say anything to me?” Joyce poked her boney finger into his chest, forcing him to laugh a bit. 

“Because Jonathan asked me not to. It was supposed to be a surprise.” Joyce smiled and hugged Hopper, understanding why he said nothing. 

“Oh,” Joyce mentioned, “did you know Nancy was pregnant also?” 

Hopper made a special face that Jonathan had never quite seen before. It was happy, cheerful, but most of all it was proud and it was directed at him. He could feel his face turn red, but he couldn’t look away.

“No I didn’t,” he spoke, “but I’m happy for you kids.” 

Perhaps all the fear and anxiety they had felt leading up to the holiday was all for nothing. 

A wasted effort.

A false fear.

Family was family, and they were all there for one another regardless of petty fights or social taboos. 

...

Hopper got the group back to the Wheelers home just as the ice began to subside, holiday cheer in all of their hearts. 

Big announcements were made.

Family, friends, and loved ones surrounded them with the love and support they desperately needed. 

Perhaps sometimes we anticipate things with dread when they should be looked at with happiness and love. 

Perhaps we try to find the perfect moments to do things when there really is no such thing as a planned perfect moment, but rather serendipity. 

Perhaps we attempt to stick to a moral with no flexibility, even when our ideals change and the motto no longer protects but rather harms.

Regardless, there is always family. There is always love, there is always support, sometimes we need to simply open our closed eyes to see happiness is right in front of us.

Always.

...


End file.
